Our friend, Carolyn Wang Kong, MPH, MPP, Practice Leader, Language Access, Northern California Diversity, Kaiser Permanente, will be participating in a noon-time panel presentation on September 24th at the Commonwealth Club of California. 

The topic of discussion is Cross-Cultural Health Care: Caring in All Languages. The event will address how doctors and patients can overcome the language barriers to enable and enhance access to health care. Come hear how technology is helping doctors and patients communicate through cyberspace.

Kaiser Permanente Northern California has done excellent work in this area, and we're sure Carolyn Wang Kong and the rest of the panel will present an interesting and engaging hour. The event is underwritten by the California Wellness Foundation.

For tickets, go to www.commonwealthclub.org or call (415) 597-6705.

Location:
The Commonwealth Club, San Francisco Club Office
595 Market Street, 2nd floor SF, CA 94105

Time:
11:30 a.m. check-in; Noon program

Cost:
MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)

Avantpage just returned from the CPEHN conference in Los Angeles. The theme was one of celebration--a look back, celebrate accomplishments and look forward to continuing challenges and what can be done.  The event was sponsored by the California Endowment.

The conference was attended by many different organizations from across the U.S.: community-centered groups and other not-for-profits, to publically held companies and federal government agencies.
 
Ellen Wu, CPEHN Executive Director, opened the plenary with a look at two scenarios for 2015. The first was a look back to today; the right moment and convergence of opportunities that effectively addressed health care disparity.

The second scenario was a "wasted opportunity."  The message: Don't mistake activity for achievement. Health care reform enacted in 2009 was insurance reform but did not address improvement in inequity.  How we work, whatever the accomplishments over the next five years will determine which scenario we have in 2015.
 
Some points made during workshops:

• Diversity of the total U.S. population is not reflected in the makeup of the workforce.  What does that hold in store for employers?
• 2 ½% of medical liability cases involve language issues.
• Most organizations need multiple modes of language services.
  

Overall, this was a great experience and we thank CPEHN for hosting this discussion--we were glad to be a part of it!  We'd love to talk more and share additional insights. Call or email me today and let's continue the discussion!

Michael Lattif, VP Business Development

201.567.4351 | 530.750.2040 ext 7 | cell 201.424.8838

Avantpage is pleased to join the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), a multicultural health advocacy organization, at their event next week: Building Quality and Equitable Health Care Systems.

Sponsored by The California Endowment, this convening is an important opportunity to celebrate and share with one another our advances in eliminating health disparities through language access, cultural competency, and workforce diversity, and to work together to move the field forward, especially with the recent passage of national health reform.

If you're in Los Angeles June 6-9, consider joining this important meeting. Avantpage will report back after the event with our impressions--we're committed to staying abreast of all changes in policy as it relates to translation and keeping our clients informed!

Being a technologist myself, I always look to the advances our scientists and engineers make with awe and wonder. As a society, we owe much to them.

I also know better than to give absolutes like "Machine translation will never replace human translators". Human capacity and ingenuity knows no bounds as of yet.

That said, we need to remember that as we apply machine translation to medical information, there are legal implications and, most importantly, the basis for medical choices and treatments. Mistakes and inaccuracies with medical information are simply not acceptable.

In our medical translation workflow, the legitimate role we have for machine translation is for terminology research, and to see how others have translated text that is new for us. Please note that this is more than in the past, but still quite limited.

Otherwise, because of legal, contractual and ethical requirements, we do not have or see any other role for machine translation in a medical context at this time. We will continue to follow the development of the technology, and as it evolves, evaluate how it can improve quality, lower costs and reduce turnaround time for our human translators.

Luis Miguel, CEO
tel: 530.750.2040, ext. 1

This week I read an engaging and informative survey report released by the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) detailing Americans' usage of personal health records, or PHRs.

What's a PHR?

According to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), a PHR is "a tool that you can use to collect, track and share past and current information about your health or the health of someone in your care." A personal health record is different from a medical record because it is the patient's responsibility to compile and maintain a PHR.

The survey indicates one in 14 Americans has used a personal health record, double the number of users from a year earlier. This number is almost certain to continue growing as the adoption of electronic health records, or EHRs, becomes more widespread. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included up to $29 billion to support providers' adoption and meaningful use of such records.

Highlights of the survey showed that more than half of PHR users learned something about their health as a result of their PHR and a third of users used the PHR to take action to improve their condition. In addition, low-income PHR users (60%) tended to feel more connected to their doctor as a result of using a PHR.

While private companies offer PHR solutions, over half of respondents to the survey said they felt most comfortable using a PHR provided by their doctor or insurer.

PHR Translation Is Urgently Needed...

Since the results of the study showed that low-income PHR users stand to benefit greatly from PHR use, and in many areas of the country, the limited-English and low-income demographics overlap, it makes sense that PHR providers should expand PHR offerings to other languages as soon as possible. People who primarily speak Spanish or another language should not be denied this service.

If something as simple as maintaining a personal health record can help people feel more connected to providers and be more proactive about their health decisions, then everyone should get one! Do you have a PHR?

Luis Miguel, CEO
tel: 530.750.2040, ext. 1

Research shows that the per-patient costs of Language Assistance are low, while providing services in a culturally and linguistically appropriate (CLAS) manner leads to better patient outcomes and significantly lower costs to the system.

With minorities providing most of the growth in California's population today and in the future, offering CLAS is a key factor in growing your patient base. Avantpage offers quality language access solutions at the government, insurer, provider, and individual level. We also have specific recommendations on how to start and implement a professional Language Assistance program.

To learn more about how the cost benefits of language access, and the benefits to patients and community, contact Michael Lattif, VP of Business Development, at 530-750-2040, x7.

Whether your company is in need of translation services for the first time or you have years of experience, it's always good to review best practices.

These 10 tips can help your business navigate the process of obtaining, coordinating, and evaluating translation services.  Because Avantpage realizes how important it is to get things right from the beginning.

1) Be an educated translation consumer. When it comes to selecting a Language Services Provider (LSP) you must get well-acquainted with their translation process and quality assurance procedures, as well as the costs. It goes without saying that the cheapest translation provider may not be the best one for your company, but a good provider will be able to find ways to save you money.

2) Do an internal-needs assessment. This involves asking some critical questions before you proceed. What languages are you dealing with? Is a particular linguistic group within your area not considered a "threshold" language according to some definitions, but you know the population is growing? Does it make economic sense to begin providing translation service in this area anyway? What types of vital documents will you need to have translated? What data formats are the documents in?

3) Allocate appropriate resources. Providers of medical plans may already realize this, but any large company that is serious about translation should have a Cultural & Linguistics department or coordinator. It's also essential to allocate an appropriate budget, since you will need to hire a certified LSP.

4) Plan the translation process. Work with your language service provider to determine your process, what steps will take place each time a document is translated and how your specific needs will be met. What regulations must you follow in regards to translation?

5) Make sure all translation is coordinated from the top down. This seems like common sense, but the head of the C&L department should work with the LSP to ensure consistency throughout all documents. Recurrent phrases that have to be rewritten to make sense in the target language should always be translated the same way... This leads to #6.

6) Create style guides and glossaries. Compiled manually, style guides and glossaries do not affect the cost or time of your translations. They increase the overall quality and consistency of your documents. A glossary contains important terms with their preferred translations, and the style guide lets translators know linguistic and stylistic preferences (such as the audience and tone of the document.)

7) Stay ahead of the game by standardizing vital documents and pre-translating non-standard vital documents. If you know the need will exist to have a particular form or other document translated, it only makes sense to get it done ahead of time. Vital documents include applications, consent forms and letters. Non-standard documents usually contain information specific to one person, such as a health care service authorization.

8) Design and write documents appropriately. What does this mean? You have to assume that your audience may only read at the elementary school level. Keep information written for the consumer as simple and clear as possible. This will also help you when it comes time to have documents translated. Documents that require certain wording for legal purposes can still be written in words everyone can understand-it may just take a little extra effort.

9) Design appropriate internal review processes. How will you know when a translation is finished? ASTM STD. F 2575‐06 is mainly used in the USA and will give you a good starting point to discuss the quality assurance process with your LSP. If your company works in Europe, you may need to use EN 15038 as a standard instead.

10) Be an active part of the translation process and community. To ensure that you get the greatest value out of your translation services, be an active part of the process. If you have one main LSP, consider having a backup available in case of emergencies. Work closely with them at all times. Join professional organizations that will help you stay on top of changes to the law. When you anticipate regulatory changes, it will be easier to comply.

Finally, always look ahead to the future of translation in your industry. When you begin to think of translation as more than just compliance, but a tool to reach new markets, you'll see that quality translations aren't just necessary; they're part of an investment strategy that will eventually have a major payoff.

Translation attestation is an important regulatory requirement for Federal Medicare and California Language Assistance programs (Executive Order 13166, California Code of Regulations sections 1300.67.8 and 1304.67.04, and California Insurance Code sections 82538.1 to 82538.8).
 
An attestation is the equivalent to a notarized certification; it simply corroborates or authenticates the facts detailed. It's not a guarantee of quality. The actual translation must be performed according to agreed-upon processes and standards.
 
To learn more about Avantpage's attestations and our policies, contact Laura Kujubu, VP of Operations, at 530-750-2040, x3.

Today Avantpage Translations released a special report called "Translation Law and The Pharmacy: Protecting The Consumer's Right To Understand."

Healthcare providers, insurers, and managed care organizations have already changed the way they interact with limited-English proficient (LEP) clients. With recently settled lawsuits in New York and upcoming changes in enforcement in California, the new focus is on pharmacies. How can pharmacies meet the new translation requirements effectively and ensure compliance? What will new guidelines mean?

This topic is especially timely because the California State Board of Pharmacy in the Department of Consumer Affairs is in the process of defining compliance with Senate Bill 472, which requires standardized pharmacy labels.

The Board has recently adopted draft regulations and is accepting comments until January 4, 2010. They will hold a hearing on the issue on January 20, in Sacramento at 1625 N. Market Blvd. in the Hearing Room at 9:30 a.m. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/6eZYy4

Avantpage will continue to examine the linguistic issues that affect healthcare and keep clients informed as the regulations change. You may also contact Avantpage at (530) 750-2040 or at info@avantpage.com for more information.

Recent changes in state regulations have forced health care providers, insurers, and managed care organizations to take a hard look at the way they interact with limited-English proficient (LEP) clients, primarily those of Latino and Asian heritage. The question for the health care industry has now changed: Instead of "Do I accommodate the LEP market?" we are asking, "How do I get my share of this market, and how do I keep it?"

What happens when businesses have a choice between offering a health plan that offers the minimum in language assistance versus a health plan that goes beyond that standard? How will your clients react when your message is tailored to each linguistic group, and delivered in an accurate and culturally sensitive manner? Chances are, the more comfortable their employees are with your offerings, the more business you'll retain. The word will spread that your plan does more than just follow the law-that your level of service exceeds expectations.

To read more about the 5 compelling reasons to reach out, click here.